Return of the Mech
The Autobots have set up a rather crude spacebridge in the barrens. Indeed to call it crude is probably giving it more credit than it's worth. A human is floating around on a hover platform, directing what Cybertronians are present along with some EDC personel who have been roped in to help. The human, who is wearing a lab coat and has hair more disheveled than Einstein in a wind tunnel and could be mistaken for a Soong type android waves at some of the personel, "Careful with that samoflange! If it's out of allignment we'll bring all of Pluto down on us. And trust me, it's never gotten over the whole de-planeting it went through." The scientist looks over plans as the final parts are put into place by the crews present. Imager says, "Uhhhh yeah....soo...okay I know this may be a weird thing to ask, but...why are we doing this? Can a Femme get a recap here?" Arcee says, "We're doing this to...wait, you mean you really have no idea?" Imager is in Operations. In fact, she IS Operations pretty much, at least until Doublecross rears his head and his head again. She keeps muttering and complaining over +a about the situation, let alone being ordered around by humies. <> In her hovercraft mode, her traction beam is actually pretty good for delicate holding of items as it technically doesn't touch the delicates. =A thick lance of yellowish energy fluctuates out as she rotates the samoflange, her engine idling with effort. "You know..its a good thing this isn't a real big and delicate piece of equipment that I'm trying not to contaminate with outside energy, otherwise this'd be really hard!" Avarice is standing appart from the other assembled Cybertronians with his arm crossed on his chest. After a moment he nervously start caressing his beard. The Sweep is not happy to be surrounded by so many autobots. He's also wondering where Scourge may be but seeing that Shockwave isn't here either, Avarice thinks he can guess where his commander is. He reports his attention on the spacebridge whishing the Autobots were more competent and would work faster. Much is at stake here. Rodimus Prime is helping the efforts to get the space bridge operational. It was either that or say how bored he was and keep asking if it was done yet. Self preservation told him this was a bad idea. When that fails he helps anyway as it's less boring than not. His surgical array currently set to a microwelder he's sealing anything that needs sealing, integrating the integrals and lifting the heavy things with his other arm as they need a-lifting. He works pretty much without speaking as, if someone asks him something... he can answer it. Results may vary. Arcee is here, although she's not one of the technically minded. She's watching the space bridge area warily, pacing about with her laser-pistols in hand. Something about the random and experimental nature of this entire project has her on edge. The human scientist, whose namebadge identifies him as 'Dr. D. Fargo' looks towards Imager, "Well maybe you do, but they'll be as dead as you will be if you get that in the wrong place." Without another words to her, the scientist hits a button and his hover platform moves over to where Arcee is, descending to her eye level, "You might want to put those guns away, the thing is meant to save your people, not to kill you." The Doctor pauses, "Though if that one..." Points at Imager, "Isn't careful it might just do that." Apparently if you're cranky with this guy he decides to hate you. Imager kneels, then splits as she lays flat, then outer casing of her hovercraft mode sealing into position around her. Avarice foottaps impatiently before shouting in the general direction of the human, "Could you please hurry up fleshbag? We don't have all day." He takes a look over his shoulder like if he was worried that someone else could come. Hovercrafts can't scowl per se, but the vehicle does shudder as her solar array, banked forward, slowly moves the calibrated bit of machinery into its proper housing. Avarice speaks up, and it gives Imager a target for her annoyances, "yeah, well maybe you can do something more than paint your nails, Sweep! Course why am I surprised, The only thing Cons can build up is their own sense of self-importance." After the housing has firmly been attached, Imager finally lets go of the tractor beam, then stands up into her root mode, her hovercraft shell coming together around her. Not to anyone in particular, especially with the badmouthing she had just done, "But yeah, remind me to learn how to do one of these here doohickeys myself...its weird gettin help back, ya know?" "C'mon guys. Let the guy do what he's doing. help him out, don't hold him up." Prime says as he moves the next part into place "Sooner the things built, sooner all's better." Holding half a section above his head in one hand and looking down at the other Prime says, "Arcee? Give me a hand? Hold this for me?" Okay so he can't make the top half in mid air and weld the other. Well. You can't have everything! Imager says, "yeah yeah, I'm on it. I'm just givin sass...its part of my charm." Arcee glances over at Rodimus, then after a brief sidelong look at Avarice, she puts her weapons back into subspace and heads over to see what Rodimus is doing. "Hold...huh, what is that, exactly?" she asks with a puzzled frown. "Not the whole thing, I mean the part you're welding." Imager says, "so...erm...do we have any idea WHY this all happened? I mean we're still short like...I dunno six quarts of answers" The good doctor looks in the direction of the Sweep, and, in very undiplomatic fashion, flips him the bird. Turning back to Imager, who suddenly he decides isn't so bad afterall, "Excellent work there, couldn't have done better myself." Dr. Fargo (who made clear it is always Doctor when saying his name) looks at his datapad, types something, "Yes, yes, these figures look absolutely perfect. No doubt they'll work." So long as he carried the 1, and the whole rounding of those figures there are fine. But hey it's all good, and so he doesn't mention these things to anyone. As most the gumbies present finish their sections off, Dr Fargo looks towards Prime, frowns for a moment, then hovers closer to Imager, "Is it just me, or is he intentionally going slow so he gets help from that pink one?" Avarice sneezes at Imager, "Manual labor is for the like of you Autobot. Not for the superior breed I'm part off". He glances over his shoulder again, "Know that if you screw up here your friends will be lost for ever. I'm here to ensure the same fate do not happen to our soldiers." Then he turns to Rodimus, "You should discipline your troops." Punch says, "You're adorable. Now stay focused. We've half the Decepticons around us. We flip the switch, get the others back and get outta there. There. Caught up." Imager says, "I really am." Imager says, "with just the right amount of 'tough but appealing', the Mechs like that, amirite?" Arcee says, "Sounds about right to me!" Heavy Hovercraft leans down to the good Doctor, a grin on her faceplate, "Hah, right? Doesn't take long to see that they've got history, those two. Heh heh." She looks around conspiratorially for a moment, "you know, back before things went all blank, there was this website where we all were writing fics about them. It was a hoot. Something about a burning building, and everyone was making difficult choices. ....'Someone has to die' or somethin..." She pauses, squints, then adds, "I know it sounds dark, but it was like...really sparkwarming to read." She raises her head when Avarice starts blahblahing, "Yo, Beardy McBeardface...maybe if...I dunno, I am just throwin it out there...if you actually DID your 'ensuring', that'd be like...a start." She can't really eyeroll, but with a shrug she breaks from the Doctor's confidance, and moves over to Pylon Three. The hovercraft shudders, then folds in half. Imager stands up from around it, her ramplates becoming her pauldrons as the last step. Brightly Rodimus looks up from welding to cheerily reply to Avarice. "Sure. You're right." He then calls chirpily over to Imager, "Imager? bad... or something. Maybe. I forget" Saluting with the welder hand to Avarice then returning to the task at hand Rodimus, in a barely audible mutter, says to Arcee, "I thought we were supposed to get everone back. Then restart the war. Looks like the Decepticons have other plans, stay sharp. Tell the others." Rodiums stops making extra noise and sparks with the welder and continuing on with the work. With a bright grin Rodimus says, "Thanks for the extra help. On to the next thing." Imager says, "Hah" "....." Arcee listens to something Rodimus tells her, then nods and follows him to his next task, in case he falls off a railing or some such thing. He's never been the best at paying attention. While he's improved somewhat, he's still pretty easily distracted, so Arcee decides to shadow him just in case he faceplants from off a high perch. Moving to the master control area, Dr. Fargo begins inputting some data, "Yes, toggle that... switch that... mangle this, fudge that there..." Quite what half he says means is anyones guess. Without Wheeljack and his ilk present, crazy scientist talk appears to be just that, crazy. The Doctor then waits for everyone else to finish their parts, and for Prime to stop flirting and come to the command centre so he can give the order to commence, in the meantime the Doctor mutters to himself, "Why we let these 'leaders' order when to switch things on is beyond me. Next we'll have a big red button for him to press, or a ribbon to cut." "I'm supervising!" he shouts back at Imager. He also overhear what Rodimus muttered to Arcee...sweep enhanced senses and all, but he chooses to ignore it. It doesn't matter after all what the Autobots are thinking as long as they activate that spacebridge with the accurate coordinates. He just gives Rodimus an evil look before proceeding to 'inspect' the bridge command console. Imager says, "Hey Prime-o...can you or maybe Cee get over to Two and regulate that energy wave? Getting some feedback here." Actually getting back to her job...no, trash-talk, gossip, and sarcasm are only hobbies, Imager does her prep work, and activates her pylon system in proper timing. "Plyon 3, up and running. Control and generation in acceptable frequencies..." She squints as she looks across, then checks her readings again, "gimme a sec, gotta dial in on 2, some interference goin on...Oh wait, its due to Rod's magnetic personality...we're all good...heh heh." She puts a hand on her hip, then looks around. "heh good times.." And why shouldn't she be happy...ish? This may be the answer to everything...they'd be back again. All of em. Rodimus finishes up the other things that needs doing and... stops. He looks at the floor for a brief moment, notes his shadow has a shadow, then carries on to turn around and have a look at the spacebridge. After a moment based on... no experience or understanding of interdimensional physics, nevermind the complexities of trans-dimensional travel within the same material universe, whatsoever Prime says, "Close enough." He walks, without falling over at all at any point, over to the command center and asks the Doctor once he gets there, "So, you need a ready-set-go?" Arcee makes her way over to 2, where she attempts to calibrate the energy wave at that position. "I'm not going to tell you I know what I'm doing," she admits to Imager. "Let's just say this is not something I do every cycle." Imager says, "Aww, its not that hard" Imager says, "Just use that dial over there to get the waves inside the two bars, real simple calibration work, think of it as oneadem minigames" Rodimus Prime says, "Turn it all up to eleven Arcee. It'll be fine." Arcee says, "Oh! Like one of the ones loaded up on the Wreckers terminal! I've got this." The good Doctor takes a seat as he waits, not entirely bothered how long this takes to be fair, but the Autobots seem to have been eager to get this all done as fast as is safely possible. As Avarice comes and starts looking at the console, the Doctor eyes the Sweep, "Careful, these are very sensitive controls. And do NOT hit the big red button there." Not that it does anything, Dr Fargo added that as a very specific safety mechanism. Namely, everyone hits the red button when trying to sabotage things, so he put one in that does nothing at all. He's cunning that way. Smiling at his own cunningness, the Doctor goes back to waiting for all the systems to be checked and confirmed as ready. And then Rodimus is next to him, "Oh, we're ready? I could swear you were... well busy. Anyway good good. And no no, no need for that, we just hit this button here..." The doctor hits a single button on his datapad, "And hey presto." Nothing seems to happen, but the Doctor sits back, looking quite content as buttons flash in much the same way that they already were. He then comments to Rodimus quite casually, pointing at Arcee and Imager, "You might want to tell those two to move before they get atomised. Imager says, "DON'T turn it up to eleven" Imager says, "I mean we all know he's joking, he's a big kidder that Prime" Rodimus Prime says, "Fine. Twelve." Imager says, "always threatening to kill me with water, ha hah, he's a funny one, he is" Imager says, "its not like I have a debilitating weakn....erm anyway, yeah just get it in the lines, we'll be good" Rodimus Prime says, "Once isn't always kid." Imager says, "oh scrap, gotta move" Rodimus Prime says, "Plus that was a comeback. Learn to lighter Imager. Oh, yeah, thing's on." Imager says, "learn to lighter?" Imager says, "you're...gonna have to explain that one to me." Arcee is calibrating an energy wave on 2 when she pauses, then slowly turns to look toward Dr. Fargo. "...Oh, are we ready?" She looks toward Imager, then shrugs slightly, and backs off to what she hopes will be a safe distance. Rodimus Prime says, "There's heavy, light and lighter. So light you're walking on air. So happiness, joy, optimism, nothing can possibly go wrong... that kinda thing." Imager lays down some professional grade instructions for Arcee to help get things in line, but when the klaxons start sounding, she shifts her weight and starts to bail backwards towards the others. Circling around the array, she trucks along for a moment before she ends up behind Rodimus and Arcee. Uneasily she looks forwards towards where the spacebridge might be. "I REALLY hope we didn't plug in coordinates to some supernova...That would suck" Imager says, "huh...lighter eh? *she seems to consider the words*" Avarice glances towards the red button, "I'll let you handle the button pushing fleshbag." Then he takes a step back, crosses his arms on his chest and waits as patiently as he can. Dr Fargo continues to wait patiently, for a while there's nothing. And then there's several bolts of lightening, and the pillars start to hum rather loudly. "Oh, here we go. I do hope nobody had a late lunch, there's likely to be a little turbulence." Fargo looks at the Cybertronians around him, "Okay so none of you will care about that." And indeed the ground is shaking quite a bit and then... KRAKATHOOM!!! And a portal forms high above. Far higher than would normally be expected of a Spacebridge, however Dr Fargo seems happy, "Oh yes, that's the biggest one I've managed yet." Quite what that means is anyones guess. As the portal appears to stabalise for a moment, an indeterminate number of shapes shoot out in various directions. While most are unclear from this distance, at least one or two clearly look like some form of robotic life. What, or who is unknown from this distance. What is clear, is there's nowhere near as many of them as would be expected. Their number clearly doesn't match up with the number of missing, not by a long shot. At this point the portal begins to show signs of destabalising. Dr Fargo bolts upright, moving to check controls, "No... this is impossible. What the. It I didn't know any better there's some form of massive power source coming through, destabalising the portal. Hmmm, that almost looks like the signature of a black hole, except it's controlled." Dr. Fargo looks at Rodimus, "You know anything about a black hole?" Quite how the Doctor knows all this, who can say, but then he may just be making everything he is saying up to explain things he doesn't know. But he does look very very worried. Imager says, "that is a lot of turbulence" Imager says, "Shut it down, Prime, shut it down before it gets bad" Avarice takes off to put some space between himself and the spacebridge... you can never be too careful. Not that he doesn't trust Scourge's handywork but better safe than sorry. Arcee stares intently at the forms appearing within the space bridge, and her interest gradually turns to alarm when Dr. Fargo begins asking Rodimus about black holes. "...What?? What's happening??" She quickly turns to look at Imager. "What did we just do?!" Although it can be said Rodimus Prime moved forward as the figure emerged from the portal. It wasn't a conscious, or unconsicous, reaction. Maybe it was moving him. Anyway whop or whatever started the movement Rodimus is the one to stop it. Black flag. It's the choice that's no choice that's no choice at all. Always has been. "Yeah. I know." Prime says, whether he hears it or not. He calls over his spoiler "Autobots! To me!" A growl escapes through gritted teeth as Rodimus adds, "Decepticons... get ready to say hello to an old friend. Don't forget that ceasefire now. Or I'll forget it first." He holds his hand loosely at his side, just sparking the biting point of subspace. He hopes he's wrong. About who. About what. That's the problem with the wisdom of the ages... ignorance is a bliss he can't afford. Imager Imager 's optics open wider, her eyelights flaring. The situation was...pretty bad looking already, what with a black hole being opened on Cybertron. How did they always end up in these messes? And then Rodimus gives a call to arms, "What is it?" She hustles up to the others as he moves forward, her plasma shotgun drawn. "What're we looking at, Prime? What is it?" The portal shrinks down, so it ends up quickly becoming the size of your bog standard spacebridge portal, and then shrinks down even further. However it doesn't beak up, instead it appears to be channeling itself more effectively, until at last a beam shoots out of it that those familiar with the normal spacebridges would easily recognise. Slamming into the ground, albeit with no force, the beam fades as does the portal itself. As it fades, the beam leaves a cloud of steam, which initially obscures any vision of what is within. Even before the steam dissipates, there's a very distinct sound. A sound anyone who has ever been in battle with a certain Decepticon would recognise. A sound any Decepticon accused of treason comes to fear most in the universe. The sound of a cannon charging up, a very particular orange cannon. Galvatron growls, and the proceeds to walk out of the steam, his cannon very clearly at full power, his frame scorched and scarred still from some battle or other. He stands, looking around, his optics narrowing, his cannon while only half raised, is still fully charged. Imager says, "Oh gearshift" Imager says, "I always wondered what it'd be like when I died" Rodimus Prime says, "Not. Now." Arcee first gets a clue that something is really, really wrong when Rodimus suddenly gets serious...a premonition, perhaps? As Galvatron emerges from the portal, Arcee goes immediately on guard, ready to act on a moment's notice. Avarice drops from the sky and lands before Galvatron putting one knee down and bowing his head, "It's good to have you back my lord. Command and I'll obey." Imager says, ".....he knew" Imager says, "He KNEW" Imager says, "we just got set up"